The present invention belongs to a technical field related to a positioning apparatus, a retainer thereof, and a fastener thereof, for positioning an object in respective axis directions of an X-axis, a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis, and a Z-axis orthogonal to the X-axis and the Y-axis, and positioning the object around the Z-axis within a plane parallel to the X-axis and the Y-axis.
JP-A-2003-200326 which belongs to the same technical field of the present invention discloses a clamp device. The clamp device of JP-A-2003-200326 includes a clamp chuck, and a workpiece supporting body releasably connected to the clamp chuck, wherein the workpiece supporting body has a flat bottom surface; and a clamp pin which protrudes from the flat bottom surface, wherein the clamp chuck includes a central opening having a conical insertion portion for accommodating the clamp pin of the workpiece supporting body, wherein the clamp pin includes at least one surface portion whose shape corresponds to the shape of the conical insertion portion of the central opening for positioning the clamp pin in the X-direction and the Y-direction, and wherein the clamp chuck includes a clamp unit for securing the clamp pin of the workpiece supporting body into the central opening in a clamped state, and at least one surface portion which serves as a stop member in the Z-direction. The dimensions of the clamp pin are determined such that a gap exists between the flat bottom surface of the workpiece supporting body and the surface portion of the clamp chuck, serving as the stop member in the Z-direction, before the clamp unit is operated after the clamp pin of the workpiece supporting body is inserted into the central opening of the clamp chuck, at least one surface portion of the clamp pin comes in contact to the conical insertion portion of the central opening, and thereby, the clamp pins are arrayed with respect to the clamp chuck in the X-direction and/or the Y-direction. Thereby, the clamp pin, and/or a region around the central opening of the clamp chuck elastically deform when the clamp unit is operated, the clamp pin is further pulled into the central opening, and simultaneously, the workpiece supporting body is pulled toward the surface portion of the clamp chuck, serving as the stop member in the Z-direction. Then, the flat bottom portion of the workpiece supporting body comes to rest on the surface portion of the clamp chuck, serving as the stop member in the Z-direction.
By adopting such a configuration, the clamp device of JP-A-2003-200326 obtains the following three advantageous effects: “obtaining a clamp device which includes a clamp chuck and a workpiece supporting piece releasably connected to the clamp chuck and in which the clamp chuck is particularly suitable for a system, the clamp chuck is formed into pallet, and an individual clamp chuck is significantly robust and strong”, “obtaining a clamp device which includes a clamp chuck, and a workpiece supporting body releasably connected to the clamp chuck and in which clamp pins are positioned in an X-direction and/or a Y-direction in a state where there is no gap”, and “obtaining a clamp device which includes a clamp chuck and a workpiece supporting piece releasably connected to the clamp chuck and in which the movement of clamp pin, and the workpiece supporting body in the Z-direction are possible, without providing a separate elastic means after clamp pin is positioned in an X-direction and/or a Y-direction”.